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27 August 2010

Round Basket Liner Tutorial

It's easy to find a square basket liner tutorial, but for the life of me, I could not find a tutorial for a round basket liner. So I made one on a whim and hopefully this tutorial will you help you make your own. Obviously, you can mod this however you wish, but I was in the mood for a large bow and some simple lace.

My husband has been telling me to get rid of this broken basket for a few years now. It used to have 2 handles and all it's branches perfectly weaved, but ever since one handle broke off, the sticks have followed suit. My husband HATES this thing because every time him or the boys walk past it, it snags their clothing or scratches their leg. (I've never had a problem. jk)So finally I decided it's time. If one more branch falls off, the whole thing will shatter into a wood pile and Jeremy will use it to start a campfire.To start your liner, set the basket on top of your fabric and cut around the edges leaving a 1/2 inch for the seam. (or you can mark it, then cut) Lay it down inside the bottom of the basket to make sure you have enough fabric around the edges for the seam. If you have too much, trim it down. (I had to trim mine a couple times) I had to remove the lonely handle on mine. Once I cut through one branch, the rest came off pretty easily. If you have uneven and sharp edges like mine, duck tape works great to even it out and smooth the edges. Since your fabric will hang over the edges, it doesn't matter what it looks like at this point. (if you like the ghetto look, you can quit after this step.) Measure the length of one side of your basket. A measuring tape works great, but I just laid my fabric over the edge to get a feel for how much I would need lengthwise and depth-wise. (the kids ran off with my measuring tape and I was too lazy to chase them upstairs. Forgive me for not taking any measurements.) Then I made a small snip with the scissors to mark how long I wanted it to drape over the sides. Make sure you add on at least 2 extra inches for the seam of where your drawstring will lay - depending on how thick you want it to be. You saw how big my bow is, so I needed to leave a big gap. Does that make sense? Double up your fabric before cutting so both sides are even. Go ahead and cut your measurements (length & depth) or if you're like me, just wing it - but make sure you cut extra fabric for seams!

Once that is cut, fold it in half (hamburger style).

Then take your round piece and place it so it's half way on the edge of the bottom cut and half way off. (Sorry, this isn't a very good picture) Place it toward the left bottom edge, but leave a 1/2 inch for the seam like in the picture. Notice on the right side of the circle, there is also a 1/2 inch left for the seam (between the circle and the scissor blade). You're going to use the circle as a guide for measuring a diagonal cut upwards towards the top right hand corner. You can't really tell in the pic, but I folded over the top layer of fabric in a diagonal line and cut along that fold. Then cut through the rest of the layers so they all have the same diagonal.

Open up your fabric, and you should have 2 trapezoid looking pieces of fabric. Again, this is not a good pic, but notice how on both sides there is a diagonal cut.

Then sew down the edge of each diagonal side. Make sure the face of your fabric (on both pieces) is turned toward the inside (facing each other).

Then open up the bottom (smaller side) and pin your circle piece in place. There will be pleats throughout this when sewing, but that's okay. It doesn't have to be perfect, it's a laundry basket! Before sewing this, place it in your basket to make sure it fits. You might need to make some pinning adjustments.

Sew along the edge of the circle a 1/2 inch in, removing the pins.

Then open it up and lay it inside the basket to make sure you got your measurements correct.Fold it evenly around the edges... and see how on the sides, it comes to a point? Cut it! Cut it so it is evenly round with the rest of the fabric. Then fold the edges under and sew in place. Make sure you leave enough room for your ribbon or drawstring to go through. After seaming up the edges, I went back around and sewed on a thin piece of lace that I easily fluffed up with a Basting Stitch.Then I sewed up a thick drawstring. More like a belt, actually. (I told you I was in the mood for a big bow!) I just cut a long strip of fabric, folded it in half with the faces touching, and sewed it all the way down. Then I folded it right-side-out with the Safety Pin Method. Then I just cut a hole (you can sew a button hole or use no-fray glue around the hole) and weaved it all the way through, guiding the safety pin, until it came out the other end.Check out the detail... (I just love this lace. It adds a sweet touch.) Then fit the liner back inside your basket and tie your BIG fancy Bow. All done.

About Me...

A wife to my best friend, mom to 3 boys & a girl, sister to 4 fab ladies, daughter to a great mom, crafting and sewing enthusiast, singer-out-loud, lover of the outdoors, and a live-life-to-the-fullest kinda gal. and I love to dance :)